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Hi Christina,
I was in the same position last year. I'd spent 20+yrs working in offices and decided I wanted a change and to do something more active, so I went down the route of setting up as self employed and starting my own gardening business in rural Shropshire.
I didn't consider going down an employed route to be honest, so I can't advise on that approach, but if you have the passion (and energy!) and are able to fund the basic kit, then I would definitely suggest looking at going at it alone.
1 year on and business is frantic - to the extent that this week I've had to stop booking any new work in as I have no gaps left in my schedule this year.
Hope that helps, and best of luck in your move to a more active lifestyle!
I know many people from different walks of life who have set up a gardening business and enjoying a better quality of life and making a decent income .
Preparation is obviously important beforehand and you have taken some positive steps by gaining some experience .
Employed route provides a safety net but you may have to persist with your applications , Self employed route plenty of help and work out there .
Remember though this work can be seasonal and plenty now but it can just tail off as Winter approaches so you have to make provision but often not a problem as you become more established .
Have enjoyed both roles of employed gardener and self employed gardener .
Employed has so many advantages I found it less stressful than self employment at times but maybe depends on your communication and organisational skills even if you are the best gardener on the planet you still need those skills .
A highly recommended book to read is Paul Powers how to set up a landscape gardening business it's inspired many , the later edition is more up to date .
Good luck hope you find what you are looking for and enjoy a great career .
This is all excellent advice and really appreciated , thank you. I will also track down the book mentioned.
That's really great to hear and has inspired me to keep pushing for this - thank you :)
CHristina
I know someone who has a gardening business in the area - and they employ a few people, if you PM me your email or phone number I can put you in touch - that said, I have no idea if they need people at the moment
Hi Adam, I can't seem to find a way to PM you. Is it possibl for you to PM and then I can see if I can reply to that? Thanks
Hi CHristine... weird, I have the same issue... email info@honestservices.co.uk
Hi Adam, thanks I've emailed you (it'll come up as a different name (my actual name!))
Getting a horticultural qualification would be handy, Christina. I did the then RHS Level 2 and found it excellent grounding and thoroughly enjoyable. When I was ready to go professional, I got some attractive business cards, looked at local aerial maps online and put my cards through the doors of places that I liked the look of. This was around the time of the Chelsea Flower Show. That was all it took to get started, my name was passed from one person to another and I've never advertised since.
I found that a great many older ladies, now widowed, who used to garden with their husbands had found the garden got away from them after a few years and needed help to bring it back, and they enjoyed having a woman about to help them with that. I've worked for many lovely women over the years and made some good friends along the way. I'm now sole gardener at a country house and love it. I would wish you my experience, it's been all been rather lovely.
This is wonderful to hear, thanks for sharing and really encouraging for me to hear your experience. I'll look into the qualification too
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